I read this shortly after finishing Mikki Kendall’s Hood Feminism, which covers similar ground albeit in a quite different writing style. I found Zeba Blay’s essays much more accessible and easy to read, but still took a lot of time getting through this book so I could better digest the words and messages. At times I found Blay’s words contradictory, especially regarding representation. She seemed to generally be grateful for representation and seeing herself in media, but then had a lot of criticism for a French director who told a coming-of-age story with Black girls because it didn’t speak to their Blackness as much as it was a generic story. I had trouble understanding why this type of representation was considered problematic or undesirable. All in all, I really appreciate knowing more about Blay’s perspective. It’s helped to broaden my horizons and empathy for those whose paths I couldn’t possibly trod. 4/5 stars. I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating, engrossing and thought-provoking collection of essays examining what a carefree Black girl is by the creator of the hashtag, Zeba Blay.

It was a great combination of pop culture and along with further examination of how the world see Black girls and women and the expectations set on them.

Obviously as a white woman, I have no idea what it's like to be a Black women in 2021, nor will I ever pretend to know. But Zeba Blay does a fantastic job explaining the pressures and difficulties of what it's like to have a Black body.

The standout essays for me were "#Cardibissoproblematic" and "She's a Freak," but there was no weak essay in the bunch. I couldn't recommend this enough!
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Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

"How do Black girls find freedom? Where do they go to find it, to feel it, uncomplicated and uncompromised?"

Carefree Black Girls is a collection of writer Zeba Blay's musings on the #carefreeblackgirls we identify with in society and pop culture. If artists like Lizzo, Cardi B., and Nicki Minaj come to mind, you are in luck, as they all make appearances in these essays. Blay writes with so much insight and introspection that I could not help but to lean in and nod repeatedly as she spoke about feelings I've had about my own body and life. The essay "Girlhood" could have easily been written for me, with my obsession with the Spice Girls (particularly Scary Spice) in middle school and my unrequited crushes on guys that would never really "go" for my type. It was cathartic reading Blay's experiences in this book, as they mirrored quite a few of mine-- giving me the language to articulate thoughts I couldn't quite form before. This was a great collection of essays that brought up so many points I can't wait to discuss with my good girlfriends. I'll be sharing more thoughts once we get closer to the publication date.

Thank you, Zeba Blay, for keeping these necessary conversations going. Special thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

Carefree Black Girls was not at all what I was expecting, and I am grateful for it. I went into the book thinking it was a collection of essays written by different authors, and thus surprised that Zeba Blay was the sole author of each essay. Blay’s words are at times cutting and raw - but with that comes an honesty and frankness that lends to their authenticity. Much of the content speaks of the repercussions of white supremacy and how Black women are the brunt of it being upheld. This is not a book I necessarily enjoyed reading, still it is a book that I felt was important to read and process. Blay explores intersectionality; particularly that of gender, race, and mental health. The author’s observations and lived experiences are written with an edge that I appreciate and causes me to want to be more curious about experiences outside of my own, particularly when the teller doesn’t give a damn what others think of them. I firmly believe we grow by hearing others stories-whether through visual art, theatre, music, or words.

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

This is a beautiful collection of essays that explore the images and depictions of black women and girls throughout our culture. This book tackles subjects like racism, colorism, fat phobia, mental health, sexuality, and what it truly means to be a carefree black girl or if this is even possible. The author also includes her own personal thoughts and experiences and how they relate to these subjects. This book is not groundbreaking; these subjects have been explored before. But it is extremely honest. I saw a lot of my own experiences reflected in Blay’s. I’m sure that I won’t be the only one. This was moving, timely, and poignant. I loved it from the beginning to the end.

A collection of essays that pivot around the hashtag #carefreeblackgirl which was first used by Zeba Blay in 2013. As a white woman, I found the essays to be eye-opening, emotional and powerful. I have no wish to be blind to the challenges Black women face in their lives and careers, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to knock back some of my preconceived notions that were in error.

These sort of conversations are vital, and need to be shared widely. I'm grateful to Zeba Blay for her commitment to putting these essays together, in a format all of us can access. We need to keep removing our excuses for our ignorance.

My thanks to author Zeba Blay, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

A collection of compelling essays about powerful black women. So many women have fallen through the cracks of history, these are only a few of so many stories of amazing women.

Loved every page. Great writing style. Recommend for a book club for women of all ages and races. Thanks for the opportunity to read this.

This is a brilliant piece of work. The author does an amazing job to breaking down and then connecting pop culture and social trends or "moments' with her own life and ultimately ours.. Her insights and criticism do not
feel like one offs- but lasting, deep analysis of the current times. She introduced this reader to ideas and concepts that hadn't really been considered or even realized. This is an author we need to hear more from--I eagerly await her next work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How beautiful it would be if we all could be #carefreeblackgirls. Zeba Blay’s collection of essays that examine how Black girls and women are prevented from being their authentic self. She looks at popular Black woman figures in pop culture and how their true essence is snuffed out. These essays were well written and along with Blay’s own experiences, captured what it’s like to be a Black women.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I loved the storyline and characters in this book. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

This definitely wasn't my favorite book this year. When I read the description it said it was going to talk about the culture of African American Women, but what I read was a lot of anger about how America defeats the African American women and her race. Everything Blay talks about, such as sexism, equality, body image seems only exclusive to African Americans, and any reference to white women having problems also with the above seem to be reduced to almost non-existing to white women or anyone else.
It's funny that while I read this book I was reading another book "Beautiful Country," by Qian Julie Wang. Who was also an illegal immigrant, from China but instead of blaming her woes on America her family work hard to make an existence in a Country that didn't want them either. I didn't hear anything about it all white people fault or that no matter what anyone does to try to help it's not enough. So, I'm sorry that Blacks are dying for no reasons, but maybe instead of blaming someone else work with each other to figure out what you want and go for it. You may not get everything you want but most of us don't get what we want.

I want to Thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

Essays are a new favorite of mine and this one is no exception. Written extremely well and researched AND interesting- it has everything. Thank you for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

“Carefree Black Girls” is one of the most thought-provoking essay collections I have read recently, and I’ve been thinking a lot about its themes since finishing reading the book several days ago. It is apparent that Blay put so much of themself into writing these essays, and I almost immediately felt like I was listening to their voice while reading. This book takes a stark, honest look at various aspects of the visibility and treatment of black women in culture, while interweaving the author’s personal experiences and struggles with mental health. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in pop culture analysis and criticism.

This could be a really important book to add to the intersectional feminist conversation. The writing style is both critical and conversational so I think it will appeal to a wide array of readers.

A little backs story, Zeba Blay in 2013 first coined the term #carefreeblackgirls on Twitter. She explains in this book that the hashtag was a way to carve out space for black girls online. “Care Free Black Girls” is an essay collection of Blay’s thoughts and feelings on the work and achievements of Black women in the media – from Josephine Baker to Cardi B. She celebrates the strengths of Black women while also examining the stereotypes and identities that have clung to them.

Zeba Blay shares her personal experience with mental illness, suicide, racial violence, sexual abuse, body dysmorphia, and many more triggering materials. I was utterly saddened by her experiences, it's troubling that she is not the only one who experiences these feelings. Zeba Blay is also encouraging and inspiring, Blay expresses her hope for a better world for Black women.

I especially loved when Blay talks about representation, she explains that being “seen” is not the same as being understood. You can “see” someone as still misunderstand them, this is especially the case with Black women today. Society constantly sees Black women in the media and puts them in a box to fit a pretty little stereotype of their choosing. Blay calls to action a new phenomenon called the “Carefree Black Girl gaze”, where society sees Black girls in pop culture for what they are instead of relying on tropes and stereotypes, for Black women to be free of labels.

I don’t rate memoirs or autobiographies because of the simple fact that it is Zeba Blay’s life, she is allowing us a window into her thoughts and her deeply personal feelings and I think that’s unratable. It just is. It’s Zeba Blay. And I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

It took me longer than usual to read this book, but that was intentional on my part. This is an experience that is not mine, and I wanted to fully absorb everything that Zeba Blay explained. I thought that using pop culture and her own experience to showcase the ways in which white surpremacy, misogyny, and racism have filtered into society and affected the way that Black women are viewed was fantastic. It made each topic immediately accessible by showing examples that we are all very familiar with, and her vulnerability in sharing her own experiences is heart-breaking to read. I would love to read anything else that Blay writes and am now determined to find some of her articles.

It is extremely important to get more information into the world about black women. The trope that currently exists must be extinguished and black women have to stop being seen as a monolith. The history shared in this book is empowering and important for not only black women, but for everyone. It is a must read. It is only through books such as this that the stereotypes will slowly be extinguished. Excellent work!

In Carefree Black Girls, Zeba Blay addresses many of the issues in our world today through her life's story. Far from being 'carefree,' this is a social statement of what some females must live through. I am not necessarily privileged, being a 71-year-old white woman on social security (which isn't enough to live on.) But granted, I am not black, nor of the current generation with social media that is out to crush anyone they can.
As with every autobiography I read, I must leave the statement of lack of judgment. I can't in any way decide if this book is good or bad. It is Ms. Blay's story. It is interesting and awakening and empowering and angering. I wish I could hug her through her hard times. I wish I could beat up those who hurt her. I wish there were no such thing as bigotry or hatred of those whose bodies are not perfect or whose sexual lives don't reflect the norms.

As with other autobiographies, I did appreciate a chance to walk in someone else's shoes. As uncomfortable as those shoes might be for her or me. It made a hard read for bedtimes. It wasn't easy to find a calm or happy moment to stop reading on a positive note. But I suppose that had me finishing the read faster.

I hope others will take the time to read about a life that isn't your own. This one is not only well-written but highly researched to make sure her facts are traceable.

I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to read this book.